A Final Goodbye
by MirandaLaney
Summary: Two figures meet over Dumbledore's grave.  They are both given a bit of closure over the meeting.  Contains spoiler for Deathly Hallows.


_I thought up this story after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It does contain spoilers for the book so don't read if you haven't finished it yet._

_I borrowed the basis of the idea from the end of the movie "Hocus Pocus". Where the character Binks is finally reunited with his sister Emily in death._

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything and am just a college student. As such, I have no money._

A light breeze crossed the grounds of Hogwarts. It was only early afternoon, but storm clouds obscured the sunlight making it appear much later in the day. The grounds were quiet as almost everyone except for the teachers had gone home for the summer. Despite the recent victory, the castle and grounds of Hogwarts seemed to resonate the pain and anguish of the battle. The lives lost would haunt it forever.

A large white grave marker stood out on the damaged grounds. It had been ripped open to remove the owner's wand, but had recently been fixed by one of the teachers. Most likely, it had been Minerva McGonagall. She hated to see Albus Dumbledore's coffin damaged. He had been her friend and hero and he would be allowed to rest in peace.

Now, the grounds were empty and no life seemed to stir. A lone figure finally walked onto the grounds and approached the coffin. The figure stared down at the grave, but no tears came. The figure sat down beside the coffin and what little light there was finally hit it. It was the figure of a girl.

She was about fourteen and had hair slightly below shoulder length. Her clothing was gray and very outdated. It looked to have been in style many many years ago. She sat silently and seemed to be waiting. Nobody just looking out a window from the castle would have seen her. She might have been out during the day, but she was not a normal visitor. Her skin matched her clothing and was gray. It was also partly transparent.

Her wait didn't last long and finally a figure of a young man approached. He was also transparent and colored gray. He was wearing old clothing similar to hers. It had been popular many years ago. Upon seeing her, the young man looked surprised, but he sat down next to her and spoke very softly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. Are you ready to go now?"

The young man looked around the grounds and heaved a small sigh. He turned back to the girl, "I guess I must be. I got to help Harry finish what we started, Voldemort is gone, and Hogwarts is safe. They don't need me anymore."

The girl reached out. "I understand how you feel. Leaving this world behind is harder than anyone would believe. But we are the past and they are the future. They are going to be alright." She motioned around the grounds. "Everything's going to be alright here now. And it's all thanks to you. They couldn't have done it without you, Albus."

The former headmaster, young again now that he had joined the other side, gave the girl a smile. She seemed to be staring out into the distance as if seeing something that only she could see.

"I wish I had gotten to go to school here. I bet it would have been fun."

"You would have loved it, Ariana. I'm sorry you never got to."

The younger sister of Dumbledore nodded.

Something seemed to be bothering Dumbledore. He posed the question with a little hesitation.

"Ariana, the day you died, I was wondering if you remember who threw the curse that killed you."

The girl gave him a quizzical look. Her brother was staring at his feet still feeling the guilt of her death.

"I don't remember, Albus, but it doesn't matter. We all have to die at sometime and then was my time. I'm just sorry that I never got to tell you that. Perhaps, my death was for the best. Once it had happened, I could finally move on. I got past the fear. I got my mind back and it was wonderful to not be lost inside myself."

Her answer seemed to help him a bit. He had been blaming himself since the day it had happened and now he could stop that. He still didn't know, but Ariana had forgiven him. The pain was over. The blame was gone.

"It really didn't matter who threw the curse. It did what it was intended to do. I don't know who did it, but if it was you or Aberforth, it doesn't matter. You guys are my brothers. I love you and I never hated you for it. As I said, my death set me free."

Albus Dumbledore reached out and gave his sister a hug. It was a hug that had been many years coming. After their hug, Ariana stood up. She reached out and helped her brother to his feet.

"We need to be going. We can't stay here much longer. We're finished and it is time to go on. Where we're going, we can still keep an eye on those we love. I've been watching you and Aberforth since the accident. And don't worry; it won't be too many more years before Aberforth joins us. Then our family will be complete again. Let's go watch and get ready to welcome him when it is his time."

Dumbledore nodded and reached out for his sister's hand. It felt strangely warm gripped in his. He took one last look at Hogwarts and finally seemed ready to leave it behind. As he and Ariana left the grounds and this world the words of his friend, Nicolas Flamel, ran through his head.

"_Death is but the next great adventure."_

The End


End file.
